Cloth steamer



` June G, W O'KEEFFE CLOTH STEAMER` Filed Jan. 29, 1946 Patented June 22, QS l f A v CLOTH STEAMER George W. OKeeffe, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 29, 1946, Serial No. 644,007

4 claims. (Cl. fis-5) f 1 This invention relates open width steamer for use in continuouslcloth bleaching processes.

Prior to the present invention, the bleaching `of cloth was carried on intermittently, with the cloth being packed in a kier during one step of The intermittent treatment of the cloth wasy later supplanted by a continuous process, Where- 4in the cloth was first run around spaced rol-ls submerged in a tank containing a cuastic solution, from which the cloth emerged to pass through a mangle consisting of a pair of squeeze rolls between which the cloth was run to extract a maximum amount of free caustic solution therefrom.

From the caustic extracting mangle, the cloth was run around a series of rolls enclosed within what is known as a monitor, wherein the cloth was exposed to steam sprays in a concentrated steam atmosphere, whereby the cloth received a thorough steaming prior to being laid in folds on a continuous belt conveyer operating in a casing filled with a steam atmosphere. y

`The cloth then emerged from the steam chamber through a common J box. From here the cloth was run through afseries of wash bowls entirely separate and removed from the steaming chamber, said wash bowls each including a series of rolls submerged in a washing solution contained in an open vat. y

.From the last ofthe wash bowls, the cloth 'was run through a second open tank, similar tothe aforesaid caustic tank, In this second instance, the tank contained a peroxide solution. The process from this point followed a course of treatment similar to that followed in the aforesaid caustic process, i. e., the cloth passed through steaming, washing, and rinsing, after which it was nallydried.

The present invention relates to the continuous process and has to do more particularly with the steaming and washing equipment employed.

It is highly desirable that the water inthe wash bowls be maintained at the highest temperature possible without boiling. 1n the aforesaid equipment, with the wash bowls separate .and

vremoved from the steaming chamber,` it was necessary to maintain the washing solution at a temperature below the boiling point of the solution,

to prevent loss cfvapors from the open tops of the vats.

In accordance with the present invention, the

to what is known as an wash bowls are arranged in the bottom of the steaming chamber, which permits the temperature of the washing solution to be raised above the boiling point thereof to effect a better washing of the cloth.

Maintaining the washing solution at a temperatureabove the boiling point thereof, as mentioned above, produces a steam vapor, which, in accordance with `the present invention, rises into the steam atmosphere of the cloth steaming chamber. Thus, the steam vapor rising from the open top of the washing vat is advantageously employed in the steaming chamber and is not lost. l

Another feature of the present invention is the installation of the washing bowl in the steaming chamber in such relation to the cloth delivery end thereof that an effective water seal is formed where the cloth emerges from the steaming chamber, to prevent the escape of steam therefrom, thereby affording another saving of steam.

The single ligure of the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic longitudinal vertical sectional view through the steaming chamber and wash bowl constructed in accordance with the present invention. y

As shown in the drawing, the device comprises an enclosure or casing `I embodying parallel side walls spaced apart and connected by end walls 2 and 3, and including a roof or top wall 5 having a step formation 4 at one end adjacent the end wall 2.

Outside the front wall 2 is an open tank The tank 6 is provided with a series of rolls I adjacent the bottom thereof and a series of rolls 8 spaced above the open top of the tank.

A continuous strip of clothX is run over the top rolls 8 and under the bottom rolls 'I alternately, 4through a caustic or other bleaching or treating solution or fluid y maintained at a predetermined level above the rolls 'I within the tank 6. The cloth X emerges from the fluid 'J at one end of the tank 6 and passes between a pair of squeeze rolls 9, 9 by which excessive free uid is extracted from the cloth X.

From thesqueeze rolls 9,. 9, the cloth passes through an inlet slot l0 in the end wall 2 of the casing I and passes under an input roller II `rotatably mounted in the casing I adjacent the end Wall 2.

From the input roller I I, the cloth passes upwardly and over a roller I2, thence downwardly to and under a lower roller I3, from which the cloth runs up and down around a plurality of rollers It, etc., in the step portion casing I'.

While passing around the rollers I2, I3, I4, etc., the cloth is subjected to steaming from a series of steam sprays II5.

Upon leaving the last roller of the I2, i3, I4 series, the :cloth falls onto an inclined chute I6, locatedyin the upperhpart of the casing I. The cloth drops to one side of a rotary folding reel 35 located above the upper end of the chute I6 and by which the cloth is laid back and forth in successive folds on the chute I6.

From the chute I6, the foldedcloth slides onto one end of the upper run of a horizontally disposed endless belt conveyor l1 which` transports the folded cloth lengthwiseof the casing I in an atmosphere of steam maintained ih the steaming chamber A afforded by the casing I.

From the end of the conveyor I'I adjacent the end wall 3 `of vthe casing I, the cloth X falls onto an inclined chuteA lo which directs yit onto the top run of a second 'endless belt conveyor "I9,

k4 of the The conveyer I9 underlies the lcnvye'r. and

Ycor'rduct's the yfolded cloth X toward the 'end wall 2 ofthe casing I From the lend ofthe 'convey'er "I 9, the cloth falls and unfolds a straight pianar yc'o'lfldition 'into a body of Washinigvjsiolutionje,maintained in a pan, trough, orvat 2id located `in ythe bottom vvof the ste'a'mi'gI chamber n.

`The l'cloth pass'eslundervah input roller 21 ro'- tatabiy mounted ih-one end "off the washingtrough 2li and `r'u-ls the full length vtof the trough '245, subjmerged in the washing solution z, supported against excessive sagging by a A'series of horizontal V'laterally 'spaced rollers 22, 22 sub-merged therein.

lt will be noted that the lower portion of lthe end wall v3 is but away, as indicated iat e3, to an eleva-tion -above the pleine of the cloth passing horizontaily` through the solution lin 4the wash- 'ing 'trough 2i! 'to permit the elth to -fpass `thereunder. l

h The trough cried/h 2-13 has eliwall' parallel to and sp'axfed. outwardly v"the end wall 3 of the casing I and rising to an elevationabove the level of the lower :edgeiiof the and wail 3. Thema-posit@ insider-ind 'wail es of toetreden 2o lSeS t0 llllfl lvatl'l "Substantially -doinrlt with that fof the 'outside emu wan 'im fof me trough,

whereby the 'level 'of `the solutionfg in the trough is maintained above the elevation of thel'ldwer edge '223 of the. Irend wali L3, whereby 'a water seal A:is formed at the delivery end k'of the easing I wherethe cloth 'X emerges fthererrom'andwnere; y

by loss of Isteam Ifrom'the'casing 1 is reduced to Van insignificant minimum.

In emerging 'from the `casing ii 'through the vaforesaid wat-er seal, the-cloth fabric passes ybe.-

-tween a pair of `youtput rollers 2=1 -and which 'are located in the narrow transversely extending f ries of rollers 28 and 29, the lower seriesof-which *is` submerge'dsin a zsolution v-s ir-15am open -tank 30 `loca-ted -outsidethe end wall-3 of-the `casing I.

The tank 30 may contain .either va..per\oxide fsolutionor a rinsing.;` solution or any other ksuitable fluid depending on the stage of the bleaching system as a whole in which this particular tank 301s being employed.

It will be understood that the major portion of the steam atmosphere within the casing I may be obtained and maintained therein from any suitable source extraneous to the casing I with` the steam generated in the pan 20 being merely supplementary or the steam atmosphere in the 'casing I may be generated and sustained solely by the boiling of the fluid in the pan 20, alone or together with the steam contributed by the sprays I5, I5.

In the present instance, the liquid z in the pan 2li is shown as being heated by a series of steam 'pipes 3l, 3| located in the bottom of the pan 20 and which may receive steam from any suitable source such as a service boiler, from which the steam for the sprays I5, I5 may also be derived.

The various rollers around which the cloth X passesl andthe rollers around which the endless belts I1 and I9 pass may be driven at various relative speeds from any suitable source of power through conventional power transmitting and Speed vchanging mechanisms (not shown) to advance the fabric through the apparatus in single fiat state and in the folds as shown in the drawings.

I `claim:

`1. An apparatus for treating fabrics, comprising a casing affording a 'chamber adapted to contain a fabric-treating vapor, means for supporting fabric in said chamber, a pan in the lower p'or'tion of said chamber for lcontaining a fabric- 'trea-ting liquid, means for heating said liquid to a temperature adapted to cause a vapor to rise therefrom :to mingle withthe vapor in said chamber, horizontally'extending conveyors arranged in vertically spaced relation in said chamber above said -pan` and operable to convey vthe fabric through the vapor Iin Isaid chamber in reversely *thlire'cted horizontal 4courses and then discharge the 'same into the liquid in said pan, means for advancing the lfabric the full length of the pan 'through the liquid there-in Ito emerge from said casing, anda ser-ies of `rolls in said 'pan below the liquid level. therein to support the fabric against excessive sagging during travel thereof through said liquid` 2. An'ap'par'atus for treating fabrics compris- `in 'g a casing including spaced end walls and affording 'a fabric steaming chamber, means for maintaining a steam atmosphere in 'said .chamber, means for supporting fabric nsai'd chamber, a'water panin the lower portion of said chamber andbompris'ing one end 'wall outside an'd spaced 'kf-rom an adjacent Tend wall fof said leasing, means :for maintaining 'water 'at apre'dete'rmin'e'd level 4insaid.-'rla'lrh's'aid adiacenti'l end wall of said casing L'havin'gfa f lower 'terminal edge disposed at a level 'belowthe lette'lo'f the lwater'in said 'panto lform a ltrap to prevent 'escape 'of steamfrom said casing, means adapted to heat water in said pan to the `boilihgte`mperature to cause'steamto rise from thevv-a`te-rlin the pan lahdniingle with'the steam ,in said chamber, Iand conveyor means arranged abovesaidpan for advancing the fabric through the steam atmosphere'in -said -ohaniber in revesely' directed 'horizontal courses and then dis- 4-cltiage' the'sfalme'into the water in saidpan, means to advance-the fabric thef'u'll length ofthe pan` throughthe water therein to emergel'from said through sa'iid train "and means below "the water level in 'said pan to support the fa-bnc against sagging during ytravel thereof 'through the liquid' in said pan.

3. An apparatus for treating fabrics, comprising a casing affording a chamber adapted to contain a fabric-treating vapor, a pan in the lower portion of said chamber to contain a fabrictreating liquid, means to heat said liquid to a temperature to cause vapor to rise therefrom in said chamber, a pair of horizontally extending endless conveyors arranged in vertically spaced relation in said chamber above said pan and operable to convey the fabric through the vapor in said chamber in reversely directed horizontal courses and then discharge the same into the liquid in said pan, means to advance the fabric the full length of the pan through the liquid thenein, and a series of rollers arranged at spaced intervals longitudinally of the pan below the liquid level therein to support the fabric against excessive sagging during travel thereof through the liquid in said pan.

4. Apparatus for treating fabrics, comprising a casing affording a cham-beradapted to contain a fabric-treating vapor, a pan in the lower por- 20 Number 6 l tion of said chamber to contain a fabric-treating liquid, means to heat said liquid to a temperature to cause vapor to rise therefrom in said chamber, conveyor means in said chamber above said pan constructed and arranged to convey the fabric through the vapor in said chamber in reversely directed horizontal courses and then discharge the same into the liquid in said pan, means to advance the fabric the full length of the pan through the liquid therein, and means to support the fabric against excessive sagging during travel thereof through the liquid in said pan.

GEORGE W. OKEEFFE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 119,187

507,404 BentZ et al Oict. 24, 1893 Simonin Sept. 19, 1871 

